Thank God It's A New Day

When my kids were little, I used to put them to bed early if they were too whiny or unruly. Nine times out of ten, the negative behavior was just an indication they were overtired. Well, I must have been overtired from the moment I woke up yesterday because even before I finished my first cup of coffee, negativity had totally consumed me.

Instead of finishing my devotional reading, I got sidetracked and went onto the internet. I began "chatting" and venting with a friend. Grrr. Then I posted a complaint on Facebook about my neighbor's barking dogs (several people responded with suggestions about how to handle the situation). Grrr. After a while, hubby and I made a trip to Home Depot and some other places. My sandal broke on the escalator. Grrr. I got home and tried to clean the house. Grrr. My back was killing me. Double-Grrr. A trip to the grocery store. Grrr. Everything and everyone was getting on my nerves. Grrr.

Negativity swirled inside (and outside) of my head. I sent a couple of text messages to a friend in which I was saying critical things about the people I love. I immediately felt guilty. Needless to say, by 8:00 pm, I decided I just needed to call it a day and go to bed. It was a self-inflicted adult time-out so to speak.

I'm so grateful that God doesn't hold this bad-attitude-day against me. In fact, the Bible says: "The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

There is a great song by Avalon called "New Day" which I'm singing today!

It's a new day

Oh, it's a new time

And there's a new way

I'm gonna live my life

All the old has, passed away

And the new has come

Thank God, It's a brand new day

Lookin' back on yesterday

There are things that I regret

But I put the past behind me

And I never will forget

You have covered my mistakes

And my broken dreams

Now over the horizon

I see the dawn is drawing near

And I realize the sun did rise

Tomorrow's finally here...

Faith Of A Child

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3)

Yesterday a friend of mine said something very profound. She said, "If we all truly believed that Jesus loved us, we wouldn't have any worries or stress." Is it really that simple? The answer is yes. It is. The simple faith of a child - that's what God wants us to have. Like the children's song: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so..."

If we truly believed Jesus loves us, we wouldn't worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow. We would know that he will take care of us, equip us and strengthen us in everything life throws our way (because "He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power at work within us" - Ephesians 4:20). If we truly believed he loved us, we wouldn't be weighed down trying to carry our own burdens or spinning out on all our problems. We would know that he will carry our burdens for us and work things out as he sees fit ("cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you" - 1 Peter 5:7). If we truly believed he loves us, we wouldn't compare ourselves to other people and come up feeling cheated. We would accept what he has given us (including our looks, intelligence, personality, gifts, talents, etc) knowing he gave us those specific qualities for a reason.

We wouldn't question his “no's” when he doesn't give us things we ask for, whether it's a job or a relationship or better looks or a winning lottery ticket. If we truly believed he loved us, we would be completely content in his love, and not feel compelled to strive for acceptance by endlessly doing things for him. Instead, we would obediently do things he asks us to do - because we are overflowing with gratitude that he’s come to save us and give us a meaningful life (he said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" - John 10:10). If we truly believed he loved us, we wouldn't be searching for happiness in things like hobbies, or clothes, or food, or cars, or people, or more stuff for our house. Those things are well and good, but they will never make us eternally happy. 

If we really believed the words of that children's song, we would find joy in knowing that God not only loves us, he knows the number of hairs on our heads! (Matthew 10:30). We would trust him so much that we would whole-heartily jump into his arms like a little child diving off a bed into a parent's outstretched arms. Yes, it’s that simple. Unfortunately, we are such block heads that we have to be reminded of his unconditional love every day. Yet, even in our spiritual Alzheimer’s, he loves us anyway. Imagine that.

Thou Shalt Not Grumble

grum·ble

intransitive verb
To mutter in discontent

Synonyms: beef, bellyache, bitch, bleat, carp, caterwaul, crab, croak, fuss, gripe, grizzle, grouch, grouse, growl, complain, grump, holler, inveigh, keen, kick, kvetch, moan, murmur, mutter, nag, repine, scream, squawk, squeal, wail, whimper, whine, yammer, yawp, yowl.



You'd think we would learn from the Israelites. After 430 years of brutal slavery in Egypt, they were finally delivered. Exodus 15 tells us that Moses lead the people of Israel through the Red Sea into the desert of Shur. The mighty Egyptians drowned. Moses & the Israelites sang a song of praise to God. And after three days in the wilderness, what did they do? Drum roll please ...

Exodus 15:24 "So the people grumbled..."

It would be easy to sit and judge. But truth be told, if I were in their sandals, I'd probably have done the same thing, perhaps even sooner. This pack is killing my back. I have to go to the bathroom. I'm thirsty. She's annoying me. When's the next rest stop? When life gets hard, and pressures come, our gut response is to complain. The problem is that griping accomplishes nothing. In fact, our negativity only makes things worse.

What amazes me is that time and again, God provided for those grumbling Israelites. More amazing is that, although I don't deserve it, he provides for my pitiful grumbling self as well. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that "our forefathers ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them..."

God was not pleased. That's the rub. Paul warns us to learn from the Israelites' mistakes. He lists three sins NOT to commit: practicing idolatry, sexual immorality, grumbling (1 Cor 10:5). Just in case anyone wants to minimize the sin of whining, it's pretty clear. So how do we stop? Well, Paul concludes that passage by assuring us that God will not give us more than we can handle. When we are tempted, He will provide a way out.

Today I will look at what is occupying my attention. Am I grateful for what God has given me? Or am I only focused on what I don't have? What difficulties I face? What people are currently annoying me? Today I will choose to turn my gaze upward and meditate on God's promises. I will thank him for what he has done, and for what he will do in my life in the next 24 hours. When I am tempted to grumble, I will stop & ask for his help.

Psalm 73:23 says "Yet, I am always with you, you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will take me into glory."

Waiting on Him

When my daughter, Valerie, was just a toddler, a friend at church asked her when we were going to come over for a visit.

In a sad, small voice, Valerie replied: “Mommy says soon, but soon never comes!”

When I think of my little girl’s hopeless response, I am reminded of the countless times I, too, have felt that same pang of despair while waiting on God. We live in a fast-paced world, often expecting instant answers and immediate results. It is so hard to remember that God’s timing is not our own. He is never in a hurry.

Meanwhile, we wait. Perhaps we need His guidance on an important decision. Maybe we are struggling with a difficult relationship, a challenging job, or an illness that just keeps hanging on.

No matter what our trial, God encourages us to be “Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12, NIV).

This, of course, is easier said than done. How can we remain patient in affliction? I believe the key is in the latter part of this verse: if we want to experience true joy in all circumstances, we must be “faithful in prayer.” When we pray, we are opening the floodgates for God to fill us with His hope.

Perhaps that is why I love to read the Psalms. David continually exemplifies this principle of non-stop communication with God throughout his life. No matter how seemingly dark his circumstances—facing a fowl-mouthed giant, hiding from King Saul in a cave, or experiencing the devastation of losing a child—David continually reaches out to God for help.

That is how he could proclaim: “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry"
(Psalm 40:1, NIV).